


Connected Souls

by catnipxhawthorne



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Doodles, Drabble, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 04:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16866535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catnipxhawthorne/pseuds/catnipxhawthorne
Summary: Prompt: Soulmate au where when you write something on your skin with pen/marker/whatever the hell you want, it will show up on your soul mates skin as well.Steve x Bucky





	Connected Souls

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: http://destieldrabblesdaily.tumblr.com/post/141503484294/princess-tuna-let-gavin-free-soulmate-au  
> I found this again on my phone the other day and I got inspired. Credits for the prompt go to http://let-gavin-free.tumblr.com/ 
> 
> This work is dedicated to Sophia, who is always so supportive of my writing.
> 
> Enjoy!

Steve had always doodled on his arms. When he was little his mom had sometimes gotten mad at him for doing so and covering his shirts in ink but as he got older she had understood that he would always do this.  
Bucky had always teased Steve for doodling on his arms. Said that it was no use to doodle before he turned 18. After all that was when his doodles would appear on his soulmate’s arms. Steve always grumbled that he would stop when he turned eighteen. “‘Cause what dame would want a scrawny fella like me?”  
Bucky always shook his head and sighed. He wanted to show the little punk that there was someone who loved him out there. Or not so much out there as RIGHT there. He loved Steve so much but he knew that Steve wasn’t such a freak like him.  
Bucky was glad that no marks had appeared on his arms yet. That either meant that he didn’t have a soulmate at all or that his soulmate hadn’t turned eighteen yet. Either way he still had time to spend with his best friend and the love of his life before he’d have to marry and have kids and all that shit he only wanted with Steve.

The fourth of July 1938 started like any other fourth of July before that. Steve’s mom had baked him a small cake and they watched the parade through the window.  
Something was different though. Steve didn’t scribble or doodle on his arm once. Just like he’d always said to Bucky, he’d stopped when he turned eighteen. But old habits die hard and in the afternoon Steve subconsciously started doodling on his lower arm again. Next to him, Bucky, who had stopped by for lunch, gasped. Steve looked up and saw him staring at his arm completely flabbergasted.  
“What?” he asked and looked down on Bucky’s arm immediately. His eyes widened when he saw his doodle on Bucky’s arm, clear as day.  
“You are… We are… soulmates?”  
In answer Bucky scribbled _ **Yes**_ on his arm which immediately appeared on Steve’s wrist. A smile crossed his face which fell as quickly as it had grown.  
“Are you happy about this? I mean I know you don’t want a soulmate, but…”  
“I’m real happy about this, punk. Someone’s gotta keep you outta fights, ya know.”  
“Still, I’m sorry you got stuck with me. Everyone will think you’re a fag ‘cause your soulmate is one… I’m real sorry.”  
“Wait a second… You’re a fag? Why didn’t you tell me, punk? I would’ve understood. I mean, I like guys just as much as gals. And I’ve been crushing on you for ages!”  
“Buck… are you sure? You’re certain you want my scrawny ass as your soulmate?”  
“I’m deliriously happy and you have a very nice butt if I may say so myself.”

~ 2016 - before Civil War ~

Steve absentmindedly scribbled on his arm when F.R.I.D.A.Y. alerted him to a mission. The doodles were a little crooked since he used his left hand to make sure that Bucky could actually see them.  
Two days later Steve peeled off his tight uniform and found a small scribble on his left thigh.  
**_Hi._ **  
He started a little and then ran around his room like a headless chicken in search of a pen to answer, his wish to shower completely forgotten.  
_Hey._  
_**Who are you?**_ appeared seconds later in Bucky’s chicken scratch of what he called handwriting.  
_I’m Steve_  
**_Why can I see what you write?_** Steve choked back a sob. Bucky still didn’t remember. And there he had hoped… well.He decided to tell Bucky the truth from the start.  
_We’re soulmates. That means you can see what I draw on my skin and I can see what you draw on yours._ This time it took a while for Bucky to answer.  
_**We weren't always in this time, were we?** _  
_What do you remember?_  
**_Old cars. Different clothes. A crappy,cramped apartment. A scrawny guy with your name. Was that you?_ **  
_Yeah. But I look…_ he hesitated. _different now._  
_**Bigger. Not so scrawny?** _  
_Yeah._  
_**We’ve met, haven’t we?** _  
_Yeah._  
_**I tried to kill you, didn’t I?** _  
_Kinda. But you also saved my sorry ass._  
**_I don’t remember that, I think._ **  
_That’s okay, pal. ‘Cause I’m with you._  
_**No you’re not.**_ Steve felt his heart break a little. But Bucky was talking to him so he couldn’t dwell on it.  
_I’m always with you. We’re connected by this soulmate thing._  
_**Steve?** _  
_Yeah, Buck?_ This time it took Bucky a long time to answer.  
_**Can I come to you? I think I want to see you.** _  
_I’ve got an apartment in Brooklyn. How much time do you need to get there?_  
_**Three hours.** _  
_Great. I’ll write down the address in two hours so you can find me._  
**_OK._ **

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steve paced up and down in his living room. He was incredibly nervous and he didn’t know what would happen.  
A knock on his door startled him out of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Bucky stood there, trembling.  
“I…” he stopped.  
“Come in, Buck.” Steve moved aside.  
“I don’t know what’s real anymore. I don’t know who I am or what I did.” Bucky said, falling heavily onto Steve’s couch.  
“Do you want me to help you sort through some of it?”  
“Can you?”  
“I can try.”

And so they talked. For hours and hours Bucky told Steve some of his memories and Steve tried to sort through as much of it as he could.  
By dawn Bucky was dozing on the couch while Steve sat thinking about what he could do to help his soulmate. He remembered that Tony told him about a new invention of his which was meant to help the mind sort through its memories and identify brainwashing. It was also supposed to be able to delete bad memories.  
When Bucky stirred a couple of hours later, Steve was sketching on his sketchpad, brows furrowed in concentration.He was still too wired by Bucky’s sudden appearance to sleep.  
“You know, your sketching always intrigued me. You begged me to let you sketch my face for hours until I gave in.” Steve smiled fondly at the memory.  
“Yeah, I had to get better at drawing faces with all their flaws.” he teased, smile transforming into a devilish smirk.  
“You know perfectly well that my face is and always had been flawless, punk.” Bucky retorted. Steve chuckled quietly, but sobered up quickly.  
“Listen, Buck, I’ve got an idea how we might unscramble your mind. I just don’t think that you’re going to like it very much.”  
“Spit it out.”  
“Tony Stark, my friend, has invented some sort of machine that is supposed to sort through your memories and delete the bad ones.”  
“Are you sure that it’s going to work?”  
“No. But it’s worth a try, right?”  
“Yeah.”  
“I’m going to call Tony and ask him if he can help us.”  
“Us? It’s my head that’s scrambled, not yours.”  
“But as I said. I’m with you ‘til… I’m with you and I’m not letting you go through this alone.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Binarily Augmented Retro-Framing - or B.A.R.F. - I have to work on that name - is still in testing. Are you sure you want to do this?” Tony asked Bucky while putting some electrodes on his head and chest.  
“Yes.” Bucky answered shortly.  
“The deleting part only works on very little things. Anything you desperately want gone?”  
“There are… words… they programmed me to become the compliant Winter Soldier for anyone who knows them. They are dangerous. They have to go.”  
“Okay. I’m going to start the program now.” Steve watched worriedly, his eyes fixed on Bucky’s. The brunette's eyes closed and after a couple of seconds he started frowning and convulsing.  
“Stop! You’re hurting him! STOP!” Steve roared frantically.  
“No. I’m almost done. I only need two more words.” Steve watched helplessly as his soulmate thrashed on the gurney. And then, he stopped. A wave of calm washed over Bucky’s face and Tony motioned for him to go to him.  
“Buck? I’m right here with you.”  
“‘Til the end of the line. I know.” Bucky’s beautiful eyes met Steve’s. A giant smile spread across their faces and their lips met in a soft kiss.Bucky was nowhere near the way he was in the forties, but he was on the right track and he would get better.

They knew no matter what that they’d be together ‘til the end of the line.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone,  
> Thanks for reading Connected souls.  
> If you liked it, please leave kudos or a comment. They make my day :)
> 
> Love,  
> Sarah


End file.
